Marni is the first show this Sunday … Bright eyed and bushy tailed…not !!! Try getting a coffee in Milan on a Sunday morning.
Anna is in the front talking with Robin Gihvan… All the Marni faithful are here.. It’s like church for the fashion crowd

The Fall 2010 Ferretti Collection was presented in the beautiful Palazzo Del Senato on Via Senato Milan to a jam packed crowd. The presentation was full of beautiful details that have become synonymous with the house of Ferretti.
If you are a celebrity looking for an evening gown to wear at the Oscars you need look no further than Alberta Ferretti. the gowns on the runway were an ode to feminine beauty.
There was something vaguely grecian yet modern about them. They were slinky without looking common, though if you have size dd implants (you know who you are… take them out right away)
The models looked ravishing, elegant and current.
Anna Wintour was in the front row and sat graciously for her photo’s

The highlight of the Armani fall 2010 show was mr. Clive Owen who was joined By Rachel Zoe seated next to him. He was dashing and charming and clapped at the correct times. I once sat next to him at the Starbucks across from the Hazelton Hotel on Yorkville, though being Canadian I did not bother him.
Rachel Zoe waxed poetic after the show, she knows what side her bread is buttered on.
I ran into this charming lady on my way out, I don’t know who she is but she was very captivating, I exclaimed Bella Donna and she smiled back

The Versace show started with the roar of a motorcycle, from there on we knew we were in for some sexy biker chicks. Fun as it sounds Donatella does makes women look strong and confident. As Barb Atkin from Holtrenfrew was over heard saying “Versace makes evening gowns sexy” (paraphrase)
The finale was breathtaking as the plexiglass wall ascended to reveal a sexy tableau of super models.
All praise Donatella !!!!

I can still remember the first time I saw Sade it was a late night in London I was 16 or seventeen, It was the Video for Smooth Operator, I ran out the next day and bought the single. Her sleek cool beauty and her soulful voice was a stark contrast to the over processed heartless commercialism of Whitney Houston, who was popular at that time.
Sade and her bands music has stood the test of time and it would be difficult to pick a favorite song, there are so many good ones. I eagerly anticipate the release of her new album.

When Susie Sheffman and I were in Milan last spring, we went to the “re-see” of the Prada collection for fall 2009, the first thing that came out of Susie’s mouth was “the girls guide to Hunting and Fishing”. to be honest I never read the book, but it seemed to be a perfect description of Miucca’s look for this fall. Sometimes one designers collection can influence a fashion story, then the fashion editor finds looks from other designers to round out the shoot.

The first job at hand was finding the perfect location, with the help of the Ontario Tourist Board we found this wonderful resort, The Killarney Lodge in Algonquin Park. The fashion team starts their work, countless hours of scouring look books and a zillion calls, some frustration and the clothes arrive at the magazine. We pack up our team and off we go to Algonquin, arriving in a rag tag menagerie of station wagons and white rental panel vans instead of a fleet of Black Suburbans.

The work begins the night before the shoot, we go through the looks, finalize the make-up inspiration and then we get a little down time, the adventurous go for a dip in the frigid water and then we hang out for a bit on the porch of one our cabins. We start early the next day, make-up takes a while and I want to catch the early morning light. We are pumped by the excitement and shoot till late in the day. The shoot takes two days, there is hard work, it’s not easy balancing on rocks in platform shoes, particularly when one of the islands is covered in little gifts from the birds. It may not be glamorous behind the scene’s but it sure is fun. Check out the story in the October issue of Fashion Magazine,

I’ve had this uneasy feeling for a while, that questionable accessories of the late 80′s and early 90′s the Fanny Pack is on it’s way back.
I must be honest, I do look at them with mixed emotions. In our modern world we possess so many accoutrements, not just iphones, black berries and if your like me and technologically incompetent, also an IPod (I haven’t figured out how to transfer my music on to my IPhone). On top of that our wallets are packed with loyalty cards, one for your pharmacy, a different one for every airline you fly, electronics stores and authenticity cards from you wallets specific manufacturer.

When I was in Paris I was looking for a murse, you know ’cause of the Velibe. I had to carry my phone, mints, keys, wallet, etc. and alas my pockets were jammed. I saw a nice leather fanny pack at Prada in Galleries Lafayette …. but all I could think of was male strippers wearing hammer pants and loose sport back tank tops. When I went to the Prada on Avenue Montaigne, I asked the nice salesman if they were dubious or not, his answer was “If Mrs. Prada makes it it must be in fashion”
It seems that designers have the same issues as I do, Style.com announced their presence at Marc Jacobs and D&G and my friend Susie Sheffman from Fashion Magazine has been seeing them all over Milan Fashion Week.

Last night The Bay hosted a cocktail party at the R.O.M. to launch the Vanity Fair Portrait exhibition. The guests were greeted by a row of handsome young men decked out in the Hudson’s Bay signature coats. We were treated to wine, champagne and a stirring yet brief speech by Bonnie Brooks heralding the opening of The Room, which has been redesigned by the internationally successful team of Yabu Pushlberg.

The show highlights the work of master photgraphers from the insception of Vanity fair in 1913 to its re-launch in 1983. It’s incredible how the images resonate, they have become part of our common memory, the photo’s of Madonna, Princess Di and Louise Brooks are iconic. The show highlights the work of such illustrious photographers as Edward Steichen, Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino and Hoyningen-Huene. The usual suspects were there, Derick Chetty from the Toronto Star, Lisa Tant from Flare Magazine, Tu Ly, a raveshing Dawn Bellini from Hugo Boss who is expecting her second son in two weeks and Susie Sheffman of Fashion Magazine looking sleek in a customised Club Monaco dress.

Tom Ford is just so infuriating, he is handsome, creative and successful. Everything this man touches turns to gold. I went into the tiff screening of “A Single Man” with the secret desire that the film would suck. Mr Ford pulled it off again, the film hit me on so many levels, from the stunning visuals to the amazing performances of the actors. He was able to conjure up the best of Wong Kar Wai, Ang Lee and Gattica yet make it all his own. His attention to detail is brilliant, every visual nuance is used to bring you into the characters persona and move the plot forward. Colin Firth is brilliant as is Julianne Moore. Keep an eye out for it when it will be shown to the general public.